Concrete foundation wall form



Oct. 13, 1942. J, BILOSWALD CONCRETE FOUNDATION WALL FORM Filed March,22, 1941 TOR.- 6 W4 L D INVEN fimcs .B. 0

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 13,, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCRETE FOUNDATIONWALL FORM James B. Oswald, BurlingameQCalif. Application March 22, 1941;Serial No. 384,689 4 Claims. (01. 25-131) This invention relates tobuilding construction and particularly to a novel type of stakes for usein setting up forms for pouring concrete for foundations.

It is common in setting up forms for concrete foundations to employwooden forms consisting of boards held in place by wooden stakes driveninto the ground. When wood is used there is necessarily great Wastebecause the stakes can usually be used but once. Often in drivingthestakes when one man holds the stake in one hand and attempts to drive itwith the other, the hammerhead slips off of or misses the head of thestake and hits and injures the holding hand. When the forms are takendown after the poured concrete has set, the boarding is usually full ofnails which constitute more or less of a menace by causing injury toworkmen accidentally stepping upon a nail in a board.

By my invention not only may injuries of this sort be avoided, as laterpointed out, but a form of stake is provided which can be used over andover again and thereby effect in the end a far greater saving than maybe represented by the initial cost of the improved stakes.

In brief, the invention consists essentially of two complementary steelstakes and a spreader or spacer member; one of the stakes having adriving-stake portion and an offset portion to whichthe form boards areattached, and which offset portion provides a safety handle by which thestake can be held while the stake is being which that stake can safelybe held and driven.

The stakes are perforated through which nails can be driven into theform boards.- When the forms have been filled with concrete and thelatter has set, the stakes on their removal act as nail pullers to pullall the nails out of boards and leave both stakes and boards clean andready for further use.

Having reference to the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the complete assembly.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of a wall and forms with the stakesin elevation.

Fig. 3 represents a modification of the invention adapted to form a wallwhich in turn is to support a veneer of brick.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing a special application of theinvention where an anchor stake may be employed.

A and B represent a pair of complementary as to insure an even uniformwall.

stakes of metal preferably steel, and pointed so as to be driven intothe ground at suitable distances apart depending on the specificationsfor wall thickness, height, etc.

For an ordinary dwelling calling for a foundation with a depth ofsixteen inches, a top width of eight inches and a fourteen inch base,the stakes are usually made of steel bars of one half inch thickness byone and three quarter inches width and approximately three feet inlength.

The outside stake A is plain except that at an appropriate point in itslength it carries a purlin' bracket 2 adapted to support a purlin oraligning timber or bar 3 usually a 2 x 4; it being understood that thesestakes A and B are arranged in pairs at frequent intervals, and it isnecessary that they be properly lined up so To the top of one or theother of the stakes A and B, preferably stake A, is hinged a spreaderbar 4 which has perforations or openings 5 to fit over stake B andmaintain a predetermined distance between the stakes, say eight, ten ortwelve inches more or less as the case may be.

The stake B is of unique construction as it is designed to adapt a formto a wall which is thicker at the base than at the top, and at the sametime to economize in the use of concrete by not having the taper run allthe way to the top as is customary where wooden stakes and Wooden formsare used.

Stake B has a driving portion B with a driving head extension 6 offsetfrom which is an upwardly extending angular form portion 1. As seen inFig. 1 each stake A and the offset portion I of stake B are providedwith nail receiving perforations 8 by which the form boards 9 may beheld in placeby driving nails inserted through these perforations intothe boards.

1 In operation, a pair of these stakes A, B is driven into the ground atsuitable intervals according to foundation plans.

Stake B is driven and guided by holding it by the offset portion 1 sothat there is no danger of accident from the driving hammer.

Stake A is driven by the operator holding and guiding it by the spreaderbar 4 and hitting on the upper driving end. Here again accidental injuryfrom the hammer is avoided.

The spacing in parallelism or predetermined spaced relation of thestakes is accomplished by swinging the spreader bar 4 across to matchover the companion stake B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The spreader bar is prevented from accidentally slipping up and off ofstake B by a nail or like means fitting a corresponding perforation ll,Fig. 1, in bar B.

This is important particularly when it comes to placing and holding asill [2 in place after the concrete l3 has been poured and when a blockI4 is driven in on top of the sill and beneath the spreader bar to besure that the sill has proper setting in the concrete.

The boards 9 which form the walls of the form are placed in positionbetween the stakes either before or after the spreader bars are securedin place; the boards being nailed to the building.

, When the poured concrete is set and all is in readiness fordismantling the forms, it is only necessary to detach the spreader bars4 from the stakes B and then using the spreader bars 4 as a lever, thestake A is pried loose from the boards 9. At the same time the stakeacts as a nail puller to pull all its nails out of the boards and leavethem free of nails and ready for re-use.

Stake B is pried loose from the boards on its side of the wall and atthe same time removes all of its nails.

Among the several advantages pertinent to said invention and its use maybe mentioned particularly: the saving in time, labor and material insetting up a foundation; saving in lumber; preventing wastage of lumber;saving of carpenter labor; saving of concrete; and saving of commonlabor in cleaning up; and minimizing accidents. The stakes are selfcleaning and by acting as nail pullers salvage much lumber that wouldotherwise be rendered worthless except for firewood.

These stakes may be used repeatedly. Being prefabricated, they can beset as soon as received on a job without the delay of cutting stakes.

They, of course, can be made up for all uses and kinds of work and oflighter or heavier material according to size of form needed and thenature of the wall or foundation to be laid, and various sizes may becarried in stock for immediate call.

Fig. 4 illustrates an application of the invention where the foundationis to be laid on soil that is sandy or otherwise not firm. It hassometimes been found that in the use of these forms under suchconditions, when the concrete is tamped into the form there is atendency for the inclined shoulder portion of the stakes B to be liftedand withdrawn more or less from the ground, thereby throwing the formout of line.

To overcome this and since these stakes are necessarily aligned with oneanother according to foundation plans, a timber, such as a 2 x 4 ofsuitable length, is laid in the crotch formed by the upright portion ofthe stake B and the connecting inclined portion of the offset portion 1and bridging several stakes B. A comparatively long anchor stake I l isthen driven into the ground at suitable intervals between the stakes B;these anchor stakes I! having brackets l3 which clamp over the top ofthe timber l6 and prevent any upward movement of the timber I6 and, inturn, prevent any upward movement of the stakes B or of the forms ofwhich they constitute a part.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a building form for concrete walls, the combination of a pair ofmetal stakes one of which has a driving portion with an angular offsetform supporting portion having an upright extension parallel with andspaced from and extending above said driving portion, and a spreader andspacer bar carried by one of the stakes and engageable with the other tomaintain the two stakes in proper relation, the stakes being providedwith nail holes, and form members of wood nailed to the adjacent innerfaces of the stakes, the nails passing through said nail holes.

2. A building stake comprising a metal bar.

which has a vertical section adapted to be driven into the ground, andan offset angular form supporting portion having a perforated uprightextension to which form boards may be nailed to the stakes operable asnail pullers when the form is dismantled.

3. A concrete building form comprising in combination a pair of metalstakes one of which has a driving section and an offset integral angularform section, the opposed stake carrying a purlin bracket and a hingedspacer bar which contacts with the first stake to maintain the twostakes in spaced relation, both stakes having perforations, form boardssupported by and between the stakes, nails passing through theperforations in the stakes and driven into the boards, said stakesacting when the form is dismantled as nail pullers to withdraw the nailsfrom the boards.

4. A concrete building form comprising in combination a series ofcomplementary stakes carrying form boards between them, the stakes onone side of the form having hook-shaped members, a timber laid in theopen portions of said hooks, and anchor stakes connecting with saidtimber cooperating with the form stakes to hold the forms in position.

JAMES B. OSWALD.

